


Extended Family

by TMar



Category: Smallville
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-10-21
Packaged: 2019-08-05 07:00:11
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16363103
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TMar/pseuds/TMar
Summary: Clark marries Lana, who is pregnant with Whitney's baby, but Clark and Lex are together. And then Lana has Lex's baby. Seriously, I don't know what I was thinking.





	Extended Family

**Author's Note:**

> This is really a long, rambling, happily-ever-after type story. It is AU from the end of the first season.  
> There is a scene of hetsmut in the story, but the focus of the story is  
> on Lex and Clark, never fear.  
> The thing with the cape was inspired by a publicity picture for "Lois and Clark" showing Superman and Lois all wrapped up in his cape. Sorry not sorry.  
> Originally posted to The Smallville Slash Archive in 2003.

Clark was finishing a paper that was due the next day. Usually he got an  
early start on his projects, but this one had been postponed because of  
Lex. Clark grinned suddenly to himself. Lex and he had done things in  
the last two weeks that Clark hadn't even known were possible. He'd  
learnt such a lot, about himself and about Lex as well. He wished he  
could go over to Lex's every day and lie there in bed with him, just  
soaking up the feeling of having someone. Of having a person who wanted  
you just for yourself, who liked you for you, and had fallen in love  
with you the same way.

Clark knew Lex had the same thoughts he did. He had fallen for Lex in  
the worst way, and when he'd told him that, Lex had gotten a look on his  
face that Clark had never seen before. It had been a look of acceptance  
and love and relief that someone cared. They had made love right there  
in the loft after that confession, and Clark had never been so happy in  
his life.

He was still smiling about that when he looked up to find Lana standing  
there looking... well, freaked. She had looked depressed for a long time  
after Whitney had left, and then when they'd heard about the training  
accident... Clark stood up. "Lana, what's wrong?"

"Clark, I really need to trust you right now." She moved towards the  
couch and sat.

Clark sat next to her and schooled his expression into one of attentive  
concern. "What is it?"

"You can't tell anybody. Not Chloe, or your parents, or... anyone."

"I promise."

"Clark, I'm pregnant."

If there had been anything Clark would have guessed Lana would say, that  
wouldn't have been in the top thousand possible things. "What?"

Lana didn't reiterate. "It's Whitney's baby," she said, looking away.

"Lana..." Clark stumbled to a halt. He honestly didn't have any idea of  
what to say.

"What am I going to do, Clark? I can't have an abortion... that would be  
like Whitney dying twice. But Nell will be so upset, and Whitney's mom  
will make me stay here. I want more for myself and this..." She paused,  
putting her hand to a stomach that wasn't showing at all yet. "... This  
baby. I want more than running a department store in Smallville."

Clark wanted to protest, but he knew that it was true. If Lana told  
people who the father was, she'd be stuck in Smallville forever, with  
Fordman's as her child's only legacy. Lana was strong; had proven that  
she was able to withstand parental pressure. But there was a child  
involved now.

Lana turned panicked eyes on him. "Clark, you told Whitney you'd look after  
me. You promised him."

"I did." Clark had a feeling he knew where this was going, and, like a  
runaway train, there was only one thing he could do to stop it. Before  
Lana could open her mouth, he said, "Lana, don't ask me... what I think  
you're gonna ask me."

"I don't have anybody else. I can't tell people Whitney is the father,  
you know I can't."

"I know that, Lana. But... I... I'm gay." There. It was out in the open.

Lana looked poleaxed. "Wh... what?"

"I'm in love with... someone. A guy. I can't do this to him."

"You can explain. Clark, you know I wouldn't ask this if there were any  
other way. Maybe Lex would understand."

Clark was surprised. "Lex? How..."

At this, she smiled for the first time. "It's obvious, actually, now that I  
know. It's obvious just from the way you two look at each other."

"Lana, I can't."

"Please, Clark. Please. You can tell Lex everything. Just please, please  
help me. Help my baby."

Clark felt like he had the day Lex's car had hit him on the bridge.  
Things had been inevitable then, too.

***

Lex scooted away from Clark on his king-size bed and repeated what he'd  
just said. "You want to do WHAT?"

"I have to help Lana, Lex. There's nobody else."

"And I have to sit back and watch my lover be blamed for something he  
didn't do. Geez, didn't Lana and the quarterback ever hear of condoms?"  
He ran a hand over his head.

"People make mistakes, Lex."

"She can't have you, Clark."

Clark sighed. He'd promised Whitney, and he had to keep the promise. How  
could he reconcile that with his love for Lex? "She won't have me, Lex. I  
promise you, I'll never be unfaithful to you. But I have to help Lana. I  
promised Whitney."

"Are you ready for people to talk about you behind your back? To make  
remarks about not being able to keep it in your pants? To assume that you  
took advantage of Lana? To question your morals and breeding?"

"It's the 21st century, Lex," Clark said.

"It's still *Smallville*," Lex replied. "It's still the state of Kansas."

"Lana and I are both sixteen."

"Great. So you can marry her if you want to, but you still aren't allowed to  
fuck a guy no matter how old you are."

Clark ignored the second part and focused on the first. "I could marry her?"

Lex got up. "No, Clark."

Clark got up as well. "It wouldn't be a real marriage..." he mused.

Lex, still naked, pressed himself against his lover. "Don't do this."

"I have no choice. You know that, Lex. It doesn't change anything between  
us."

"You're in school."

"We can take correspondence classes. Some other farm kids do. I could do  
more work around the farm, and ask for a small amount of the profit if we  
make more. It could work."

Lex sat back on the bed. "You're really gonna do this."

Clark looked his lover in the eye. "I have no choice."

***

Clark debated with himself whether to tell his parents the truth about the  
baby or not. He debated a lot of things, but helping Lana was never in  
debate. When Clark showed up at Lana's place after waiting for Nell to  
leave, Lana wasn't expecting a proposal.

"What?"

"You could marry me. Then no one would question the... the baby. We can  
enroll at a correspondence school and finish high school that way. You'd have  
to live with me, though. My parents need me on the farm."

"What about Lex?"

This got a huge sigh. "It wouldn't be a real marriage, Lana. It can't be. I  
love Lex. And I know that I said I'd help you, but my relationship with Lex  
isn't negotiable."

"Fair enough." Lana breathed deeply, then squared her shoulders. "All right,  
Clark. I'll marry you."

***

It was decided to have a small wedding at the castle. Clark drew the line at  
a church wedding. That would be fraud, in his mind. Nell was shocked, but  
agreed to Clark's plan. Clark's parents were... well, Martha cried and  
Jonathan yelled until he was hoarse. Clark had to admit to his parents that  
it wasn't his baby. He knew they already suspected, what with him being an  
alien and everything, but trying to explain why he was doing this was an  
uphill battle. He settled for having to threaten to run away if they didn't  
agree. He might not have done it if it had been just him, but he would do it  
for Lana, and for Whitney. It was a tense couple of weeks.

***

Lex stood in the main hallway of the mansion looking at the flowers and  
other decorations that Nell had arranged. He wanted to kill Lana. He wanted  
to kill the quarterback - well, that wasn't possible so he wanted to bring  
him back to life and kill him again. He wanted to hurt someone very badly.  
He was terrified of losing the one good person in his life - the one who  
made him happy, who accepted him for who he was.

Lex looked up as Clark came down the stairs dressed in a suit complete with  
vest, cravat and cufflinks. "How do I look?" Clark asked.

"Don't speak to me," Lex answered.

"Lex..."

"I'm only doing this to make you happy, Clark. Remember that."

"I love you. That won't change."

Lex looked around. They were alone. The decorators and caterer must be  
outside where the food was being set up. "You've wanted her since I've known  
you. Now she'll be your *wife*. Don't tell me things won't change."

"I don't love her. Not like I love you."

"Prove it."

"How?"

"Come upstairs with me right now."

They had almost an hour until the ceremony, to be conducted by Pete's  
mother. Almost an hour. "All right," said Clark.

Lex pulled Clark into his bedroom, slammed the door and locked it, pushing  
Clark face-first against the wall. "You're mine, Clark. Mine!" He pulled  
Clark's shirt from his pants, awkwardly unbuckling Clark's pants from the  
back, and pulling them down along with underwear. "I'm gonna fuck you,  
understand?"

Lex kept up this running dialogue as he pulled his own cock from his pants.  
"I'm gonna make you remember who you belong to, even while you're marrying  
her." There was no preparation as Lex pushed inside his lover, but then  
Clark had never indicated that anal sex hurt him at all. He'd always beg for  
more when Lex did him this way. "You're gonna have my spunk inside you,  
Clark, to remind you."

Clark groaned and pushed backwards as Lex began to thrust in and out quite  
brutally. "You hear me, Clark?"

Clark just groaned.

Lex slammed himself into Clark, trying desperately to imprint himself upon  
his lover. "You hear me?"

"Y... yes, I hear you. Just don't stop. Oh, God, Lex. Fuck me!" Clark wasn't  
even touching himself; he knew he was going to come just from having Lex  
inside him this way. Clark slammed himself backwards onto Lex, and forward  
into the wall. It was so brutal, yet so *sexual*, and he was unbelievably  
turned on by Lex's possessiveness. He wished they could stay like this  
forever: Lex inside him, Lex wanting him.

Clark began to groan ever louder as he got closer. "Uh... uh... uh..." Lex  
clapped a hand over his mouth and kept moving, finally coming inside Clark  
with a pleasure that bordered on pain.

Clark bit down on Lex's hand and came against the wall, sagging against it,  
his face still turned away.

Lex looked at his hand. It was bleeding where Clark had bitten him, but not  
too badly. He'd just wrap it. Lex pushed away from Clark and went into his  
bathroom to clean his hand up. Clark turned around, then, and came to the  
door, watching him.

"Sorry about the hand," he said as he looked into Lex's eyes in the mirror.  
He hadn't bothered to do up his pants; he'd just pulled them up. His shirt  
and vest were getting wrinkled from being rucked up around Clark's waist.  
Clark sighed. "I love you, Lex. That will never change."

Lex finished with his hand and turned around, coming up to Clark and  
straightening his clothes, zipping up his pants and making him look  
presentable. "I believe that." He fixed his own clothes quickly. "I've  
arranged for the two of you to stay here tonight," he said, changing the  
subject. "Kind of a wedding present, so your parents can't even object." He  
smiled. "Hey, it's cheaper than a hotel, and has better service." He didn't  
mention the bonus of having to have his lover with him for the entire night,  
even if the town thought something quite different was going on.

"Thanks, Lex," Clark replied as they left the room.

***

Clark had Pete stand with him. He had really wanted to ask Lex, but he knew  
that was too much to ask of the man who loved him almost obsessively. It  
wasn't a real wedding, anyway, so it wasn't that important, but Pete had  
been happy.

As they waited for Lana, who was being escorted by one of Whitney's football  
team members, Clark remembered bits of conversations he'd heard after the  
news had broken.

"... Bet she's pregnant... getting married at their age... must have been  
cheating on Whitney... give it a year, tops... the football player's body is  
hardly even cold... moved in on her really quickly..."

Clark couldn't blame the people of the town for what they thought. Some of  
it was even true. But of course their ideas of his or Lana's motivation for  
doing this were way, way off.

Clark shifted nervously. He *could* still feel Lex inside him. And he  
wished... he wished that he could have married Lex instead. He was imagining  
what their ceremony would be like when the music started, and Chloe walked  
down the red carpet carrying a small bouquet of pink roses. She was wearing  
the dress she'd worn to the Spring Formal, and it still looked good.

Then came Brent and Lana. Lana looked like a lace factory had exploded on  
her, to be truthful. Nell hadn't been able to get her way regarding the size  
of the wedding or what the maid of honor should wear, but she must have  
picked out the dress. Clark bit the inside of his lip to keep from smiling.  
Most grooms, he figured, looked at their bride and saw a vision of  
loveliness. He saw a friend of his looking like she was wearing a cream  
cake.

Brent presented Lana to Clark and moved away with a sharp look in Clark's  
direction. Ah. Another one who thought he'd moved in on Whitney's girl  
before the body was even cold.

Judge Ross spoke for a minute on what marriage was, and then it was time for  
the vows. They'd written their own, because no way was Clark going to  
promise to "love, honor and cherish" when that would be a blatant lie. Lana  
looked up at him and promised to care for, honor and help him. Clark was  
relieved. He'd asked Lana not to mention love or faithfulness, and she  
hadn't.

Clark had to clear his throat before he could speak, which got a laugh from  
the small audience. They were just lucky, he thought, that they didn't know  
the true reason for his nervousness. Clark swallowed hard, looked into  
Lana's eyes and promised to look after, care for and be a best friend to  
her. Their audience thought that was sweet, what with the "Aw" that went  
around, but five people there knew what it really meant.

When it came time for rings, there was another difference. Lana got a gold  
band, but she put a pendant around Clark's neck. It was inscribed with an  
intertwined CK and LL. The witnesses again thought this was lovely, if a bit  
unusual.

Judge Ross then pronounced them husband and wife and then came the  
obligatory kiss. Clark leaned down and kissed Lana very lightly, just enough  
to satisfy those watching. And the entire time, he wished he was kissing Lex  
instead.

***

The party extended into the grounds of the mansion. Clark and Lana sat  
together, looking suitably happy. Lex wondered if he was the only one who  
noticed that Clark took Lana's champagne away before she could even have a  
sip, or that Lana ate two bites of her stuffed mushrooms and then ran inside  
towards the bathroom, only to emerge a few minutes later looking somewhat  
green.

He was staring so hard at the happy couple that he didn't even notice  
Clark's father walk up next to him. "You know, don't you?" he asked without  
preamble, indicating Lana sitting next to Clark looking queasy.

"About Lana? Yes."

"You're in love with my son," Jonathan said next, and Lex almost choked; was  
sure he would have if he'd been eating or drinking anything at the time.

"Mister Kent... what..."

"I'm not an idiot, Lex. A hick from Smallville, maybe, but I'm not stupid."  
He paused. "You've been sleeping with him, haven't you?"

Why couldn't he talk? Lex tried again. "Wh... what makes you say that?"

"The two of you disappeared into your bedroom forty-five minutes before the  
ceremony was supposed to start. Your hand was fine then. You emerge less  
than twenty minutes later with your hand bandaged and Clark's suit is  
rumpled. You didn't have to draw me a picture."

Lex checked to make sure no one was listening. "I love Clark, Mister Kent."

Those blue eyes looked into his measuringly. "I'm sure you do, Lex. But you  
can't come between them."

There was a rushing sound and then Clark was there, looking angry. "You have  
no right," Clark whispered to his father. Lex noted Lana looking on  
anxiously.

"Clark - "

"No, Dad. Lana and I just did this for the baby. You know that. Lex and I  
are still together. Look." Clark reached into his pocket and pulled out  
another, duplicate pendant, angling it so that only his father and Lex could  
see it. "This one is for him. The initials don't stand for Lana Lang." Clark  
squared his shoulders. "I was going to give it to him tonight. When we spent  
the whole night together for the first time."

To his credit, Jonathan said nothing. He just swallowed a couple of times.

"I love Lex, Dad. Nothing will change that." Clark walked off.

Lex turned back to Jonathan, only to find Lana flanking him.

"It's all right," Lana said. "Clark is doing me a favour. We're friends, and  
we always will be."

Jonathan looked down at his daughter-in-law. "And it doesn't bother you that  
your husband is..." He swallowed again, as if the words were choking him.  
"... Sleeping with Lex Luthor?"

Lana smiled. "Lex has been a good friend too. I needed friends after Whitney  
died."

"I think Martha and I will call it a day," Jonathan responded, taking Lana's  
hand for a brief moment, then walking off.

Lex turned to Lana. "You really are too good to be true."

He got a glimpse of the sarcastic Lana, the one who'd made that crack about  
skinny-dipping and "the breast stroke" the first - okay, second - time he'd  
met her. She twinkled up at him and replied, "But you still ended up with  
the guy."

They laughed, and that broke the tension that had been building all day.

***

With Lana ensconced in a bedroom a good distance from Lex's, Clark returned  
to his lover. He was hardly in the room when Lex was in his face. "Okay,  
Kent, hand it over."

Clark tried to look innocent. "What?"

"The pendant."

Clark took it out and placed it around Lex's neck. Lex held it up so he  
could take a good look at it.

"It's beautiful, Clark."

"It was Lana's idea. She knew we'd have to exchange something, and this way  
we could both have one. Your wearing a ring would look too obvious."

"Clark, I... I love you. This thing you did for Lana... if you hadn't, it  
wouldn't be you. When you told me about it, I knew what you'd do. I love you  
for being who you are. Don't lose that, Clark. Don't ever lose that."

Clark undressed himself at super-speed and attacked Lex's clothes that way  
as well. The next thing, Lex found himself on his bed, looking upwards as  
Clark leaned over him. "I love you, Lex," Clark said.

"I'll never get tired of seeing you do that," Lex said.

"And you accepted me for me, despite everything."

"It sounds like a movie, doesn't it? 'My Lover Is An Alien'." Lex leaned up  
to kiss said alien.

The kiss lengthened, Clark rubbing himself against Lex languidly. When it  
broke, Clark whispered, "I wanna make love to you." He pushed himself up,  
away from Lex's upper body so that he could look into his eyes.

"Do it." Lex pulled his legs up, on each side of Clark, displaying himself  
and what he wanted.

Clark zipped off the bed and returned with lube. "You want me?"

Lex didn't reply, just pulled his legs up to show Clark that he did. Clark  
stretched Lex carefully, always mindful of his own strength.

"Ready?" Clark slicked himself, leaning over Lex.

"Just fuck me, Clark."

Clark pressed forward slowly, until he was sheathed in Lex, in that slick,  
tight heat. He looked into Lex's eyes. "Okay?"

Lex thought he might hyperventilate. "Yeah."

And then Clark began to move, slowly at first and then with more purpose.  
Lex grasped his own penis and stroked himself even as he felt Clark within  
him.

It was so, so good. They were connected in a way that went far beyond the  
physical, far beyond sex.

Clark leaned down over Lex, tilting his hips up, folding Lex like a pretzel  
and clinking their pendants together. It was symbolic, yes, and when he  
moved away it changed the angle of penetration, and Lex cried out as Clark  
hit his prostate. "Oh God, Clark!"

Clark did it again and again, fucking Lex the way he wanted.

It was all Lex wanted, as he came suddenly, in two long and then three  
shorter spurts. "Aaah."

Clark looked at the beauty that was his lover, thrust once more himself, and  
came, shoving hard into Lex a few more times and then stilling completely.  
He carefully withdrew, lying down next to Lex, sated.

Lex turned and brushed Clark's sweaty hair off his forehead. "Some wedding  
night."

Clark just smiled at him. "It was beautiful."

They slept together the entire night, waking rather early the next morning  
so that they could make love once more before they had to go down and eat  
breakfast with the new Mrs. Kent.

***

School had been going for three months, and Lana missed her friends. She'd  
continued to work at the Talon, though, until her sixth month, when her feet  
had started to swell up. The doctors hadn't found anything wrong, but they  
wanted her to stay off her feet. So Lana was doing some reading for her  
English course on the porch of the Kents' farmhouse. It was peaceful here,  
and she was happy, not seeing her friends notwithstanding.

Clark came up to the porch from doing his chores. With Clark not spending  
time at school, they were actually able to make more money through increased  
productivity. Clark and Lana did not do their work together. It was felt  
that they'd end up with very similar answers to everything, and that it  
might look like cheating. Besides, Clark could do his schoolwork at  
superspeed to have more time to work on the farm. However, he did the same  
amount of work daily that Lana did.

"Hey," Lana said as her - husband - came onto the porch. "Finished?"

"For now, yeah." Clark sat down next to her. "You?"

"Just doing the required reading. I already finished the Math and History."

"Speaking of Math, there was one problem I had trouble with..."

They were still discussing the problem when Lex drove up.

Lex tried to see Clark every second day, but business had kept him away for  
three days and he had missed Clark terribly. Clark usually came to the  
mansion to see him, but he'd been in Metropolis this time. Thank heavens for  
telephones.

"Hey, Clark, Lana."

"Lex!" Clark came down the stairs at a run and enveloped him in a hug,  
kissing him thoroughly when he was done hugging him. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too," Lex answered.

"Ow."

They both turned at Lana's exclamation. Clark was immediately at her side.  
"What is it?"

"The baby's kicking. Feel." Lana took Clark's hand and placed it on her  
stomach even as Lex saw Clark concentrate in the way that meant he was using  
his x-ray vision.

A huge smile broke over Clark's face, and he turned to his lover. "Come and  
feel, Lex. It's wonderful."

Lex tried to back away. "Uh... no, that's okay..." But Clark grabbed his  
hand and literally yanked him forward. Lex put his hand tentatively on  
Lana's stomach. And he did feel the baby. It was... indescribable. Lex had  
never before felt "life" in this way. A smile broke out on his face,  
something he didn't realize until Lana and Clark both looked at him sappily.  
"What?" Lex took his hand away.

"You liked that," Clark accused.

"I..." Lex looked at Lana. How could he deny it? "Yeah. I did."

"The baby's strong," Clark said.

"Like his father," Lana said wistfully.

"Yeah." Clark kissed Lana on the forehead. "Just like Whitney." Clark had  
known the sex of the baby for ages, since he'd been giving Lana  
surreptitious x-rays ever since he'd found out she was pregnant. But he  
hadn't said anything - scans had revealed the sex soon enough.

Lana looked at the two of them and was glad that she'd never insisted that  
Clark be a 'real' husband to her. He would never have been this happy  
without Lex. It was a hard thing to admit, though, even to herself. She  
looked up at Clark. "Why don't the two of you go back to the mansion? I'll  
hold the fort here with your parents," she said to Clark.

Clark looked undecided. "Are... are you sure?"

Lana smiled her confident smile. "Of course I am. We'll be fine. You two go  
on."

The lovers left, and Lana went back to her reading... but her mind drifted.  
She'd never really wanted to sleep with Whitney; she'd only done it as a  
sort of "going away" present. By the time Whitney had decided he wanted her,  
she'd decided she wanted Clark. But Clark and Lex had wanted each other...  
Falling pregnant had been so stupid. After lectures from Nell about safe  
sex; after health classes at school; after carrying a stupid egg around for  
a week... there had just been her and Whitney on that blanket on the grass,  
and it had been their only chance. So she had taken it, out of pity more  
than love. But despite her regrets about that, Lana really couldn't regret  
the baby. It meant that part of Whitney would live on, even if she, Lex,  
Clark and his parents were the only ones who knew the truth.

***

Clark and Lex lay together in Lex's bed at the mansion. "I missed you," Lex  
whispered to his lover.

"I missed you, too."

"How's Lana holding up?" It had gotten easier over time to talk about Lana.  
Once Lex had realized that Clark would never, ever betray him, Lana just  
became another part of their lives, like Clark's parents or his own father.  
Lex seldom saw his father these days; his rebelliousness regarding the plant  
and how to run it had pushed his father away. Good.

"She's getting uncomfortable now," Clark replied. "At night I hear her  
getting up because it's difficult to sleep. And she's in the bathroom every  
couple of hours. She's so frail, Lex."

"She's small, I agree, but she's a tough little cookie," Lex answered.  
"She's a lot stronger than she looks."

"I'm just worried. The baby is so big."

"You been x-raying her again?"

"I do it every day," Clark admitted. "You should have seen the baby at  
first. So *tiny*. And now he's huge. And there are still two months to go."

"Women have been having babies for millennia, Clark," Lex laughed. "Lana  
will be fine."

***

Lana was, indeed, fine. Labor was eighteen hours, and she had an epidural  
with a natural delivery. Clark and Lex talked her into the epidural. Why go  
through pain when you didn't have to? Clark was in the delivery room the  
whole time, while Lex waited outside with Clark's parents and Nell. Jonathan  
Kent clearly still didn't like him much, but they had learned to tolerate  
each other. Nell, who didn't know the situation, just glared at him as if he  
was using her niece's pregnancy for his own ends. Though they were business  
partners, Lex never spent time with Nell otherwise. She was a left-over from  
his father's world.

They were sitting there when they heard a slight cry - could have been  
anything - but then two minutes later Clark poked his head out and said,  
"It's a boy. Seven pounds two ounces, and he's fine."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It was a little longer before Clark came  
out, holding the baby boy in his arms. He was wrapped in a blue blanket and  
his eyes were open, but he didn't seem inclined to fuss. "Everyone," Clark  
said proudly, "I'd like to introduce you to Alexander Lang Kent."

Lex almost fainted. He'd known that Clark and Lana had picked out a name,  
but he'd assumed they weren't telling anyone because they wanted it to be a  
surprise. Well, it had worked. He was shocked into silence. Clark approached  
him with the baby.

"Lex."

Lex was unable to do anything but numbly follow instructions as Clark put  
the baby into his arms, instructing him on how to support the head. And when  
Martha snapped a picture of him holding Lana's baby, Lex didn't even notice.

***

Lana was back in her room and holding Alex (calling him "Lex" would, they'd  
decided, cause too much confusion, and calling him "Xander" would just make  
everyone think they watched too much Buffy) when everyone was allowed in.  
She just kept staring at the baby, and then at the people around her. "He's  
so beautiful," she kept saying.

"And so tiny," added Clark.

"You thought he was huge," Lex whispered into Clark's ear, and got an elbow  
in the ribs - gently - for his trouble.

Clark had had to provide the information for the birth certificate. He'd  
very badly wanted to put "Whitney Fordman" under "father", but birth  
certificates could be accessed by the public, so he'd given his own name  
instead, apologizing to Whitney in his head the whole time. Three weeks  
before his seventeenth birthday, Clark Kent was officially a father.

***

Lex insisted on getting a nanny for the first three months of the baby's  
life. Neither Martha nor Lana nor either of the Kent men had any experience  
with small babies, but Lex had read some books (without telling Clark) and  
knew how much work a small baby took.

Lana was actually grateful for the help, and Clark gave Lex a special thank  
you by sucking him off in his office at the plant the day after the nanny  
arrived. Farmers needed their sleep, after all. The sleeping arrangements  
were explained by the fact that Clark needed his sleep because he worked so  
hard, both on the farm and on his schoolwork. Lana's pace of work slowed,  
but she still managed to get a little work done every day. As she explained  
to Clark and his parents, she needed something besides the baby or she'd go  
stir-crazy.

But Lana loved the baby. She showed him off every chance she got, even  
though many people had done the math and knew she had been pregnant before  
the wedding. However, every time she saw Mrs. Fordman, Lana managed to be  
somewhere else. Others couldn't see it, because they assumed Clark was  
Alex's father, but Lana knew that he had Whitney's nose, chin and eyes.  
Luckily his hair, which started to appear only a week after the birth,  
wasn't blonde. That would have given it away completely.

Chloe and Lana were sitting in the Talon one afternoon and Chloe was cooing  
at the baby. "He's beautiful, Lana."

Lana smiled at the compliment. "Thank you."

"He doesn't look anything like Clark, though," Chloe said. There was a long  
pause, and Chloe looked directly into Lana's eyes. "Does Clark know he's  
raising Whitney's baby?"

"Chloe!" Lana almost jumped up. "Keep your voice down!" Luckily it was late  
afternoon and there were few people around.

The intrepid reporter grinned. "Ha! I knew it!" She sobered. "Does he know?"

Lana nodded. "Clark's been great. I asked him for help, and he offered to  
marry me. But Chloe, you can't tell anybody, okay? I don't want my child to  
grow up thinking he has some legacy to fulfill with the store. Look where it  
got Whitney. He joined the Marines to emulate his father, but he would've  
come back here to run the store. That's what his father did. I don't want my  
child trapped in that cycle, okay? Promise me you won't tell anyone. And I  
mean anyone!"

Chloe nodded. "Okay, no problem. So... how does Lex fit into all this?"

Alex started fussing then, and Lana quieted him before carefully replying.  
"Lex? He's been a great friend to Clark."

"Is that why you named the baby after him?"

"Yeah." Lana smiled. "It was my idea. Clark says Lex nearly fell over when  
he heard Alex's name."

Chloe looked slightly distressed. "Lana, I probably shouldn't tell you  
this, but... I broke up with Clark when I went to the loft one day and found  
him and Lex kissing. Clark told me he was confused, but then he married you,  
so... I'm just saying, be careful of Lex."

Lana squared her shoulders. "It's all right, Chloe. I know exactly what  
Lex's role in our lives is."

"And?"

"And he's Alex's godfather and Clark's best friend. And he's mine, too.  
Which infuriates my aunt." Lana laughed a little. "I think she was hoping  
Lex would fall in love with me and marry me. She wasn't very happy when I  
went to her and told her I was pregnant with Clark's baby and he wanted to  
marry me. But Clark's father talked her into it. I still don't know what he  
said, but it worked."

"It's still going to be tough," Chloe pointed out. "You still have to finish  
high school, and then there's college."

"Lex will help," said Lana confidently, knowing that through Clark her life  
was inexorably tied to that of Lex Luthor. Not that she minded; Clark was a  
great influence on him. Lex, happy, was a sight to behold.

***

Alex Kent grew up to be a beautiful, polite little boy. The three figures in  
his life after his mother finished high school were his mother, Clark Kent,  
and Lex Luthor. Clark had completed an accelerated college degree and was  
working for the Daily Planet. He still couldn't believe that he'd ended up  
being an investigate reporter after all, even if it was just a junior one at  
this stage. Lana opened a second coffeehouse in Metropolis, based on the  
layout of the Talon, and it was doing modestly well. She just managed it and  
did the books, which left time for her to put into her child. Lex had formed  
LexCorp and was gradually building it into something great.

Alex still saw his grandparents and Nell when his parents went home for  
weekends and holidays, and loved them all dearly. His hair had lightened as  
he grew, but it was still only a light brown. Lana hoped that it stayed that  
colour. She hated to think of dyeing the hair of a five year-old boy. Alex  
knew that Clark wasn't his "real" father, but he also knew that it was a  
secret. Lex was his "other father", and he was happy with this arrangement.  
To him, their strange living arrangement in Lex's penthouse in Metropolis  
was normal. His room was next to his mother's, then there was Clark's room,  
then Lex's.

Alex Kent attended an exclusive playgroup in the city and learned about  
"normal" families, and brothers and sisters. To him, his family was normal.  
There was mommy and daddy and they were married, so that was fine. And there  
was Lex as a bonus. Lex loved him and tried to spoil him terribly, which he  
only managed to do when his parents weren't around. Alex had Lex wound  
around his little finger. But he didn't have any brothers or sisters.

"Mommy," he asked one day at supper, "why don't I have any brothers or  
sisters?"

Lana just looked at Clark helplessly. Clark answered as diplomatically as  
possible. "Well, you're special, son."

"But I want a baby brother or sister."

The three adults looked at each other across the table. There was no way  
they could explain their complex relationship to a five year-old. Finally  
Clark just said, "Maybe later, okay?"

"Okay," said Alex, and continued chattering about his day.

***

Two weeks later, Lana stood in front of a shocked Clark and Lex, who sat  
together on the couch in the den. "Lana," Lex pleaded, "please repeat that."

"I said, I want to have another child."

"No." This was Clark. "No, Lana. We don't even know if it's possible for me  
to have children. I'm so different from you..."

"But on Krypton you'd be the same! No one had powers there, Clark. It's just  
the red sun yellow sun thing. So maybe your DNA is the same..."

"No." Clark got up and left the room without another word.

Lana looked at Lex. "Why do I feel I've missed something?"

"We both have," Lex said. "Go and find out what's going on."

"Me?"

"It obviously has something to do with you or Clark wouldn't have left. Go  
and see what it is."

Lana found Clark in the kitchen, eating ice-cream out of the tub. "Clark?"

"Don't ask me, Lana. I can't do it." He tried to leave, but Lana blocked his  
way.

"Look, it doesn't have to be difficult," she said. "We can take my  
temperature and find out exactly when I'm ovulating, and we can give it a  
try. I'm just asking for a night, or maybe more if it doesn't work the first  
time. I'm your wife, Clark. Please."

"Maybe if we used insemination..." Clark mused.

"No. I want my child conceived as an act of love, like Alex was."

"I thought that was an act of pity," Clark threw back, immediately  
regretting it when Lana slapped him. Clark grabbed her hand. "You'll hurt  
yourself."

"You just hurt me more. Clark, how could you say that? It was my gift to  
Whitney. It was stupid, but I wouldn't change it. Look at the beautiful  
child that came out of it."

"I can't do it, Lana."

Lana sighed. "All right. But you at least owe me the truth as to why. It's  
not some Superman-related thing, is it?"

"No." Clark always tried to keep Superman away from his family. The  
so-called Man of Steel already took up so much of his time. Clark seated  
himself again. "Lana, you and I have never made love. When I was younger,  
before I met Lex, I fantasized about it. I wanted you so badly, and you only  
wanted Whitney. But Lex... Lex made me see who I really was. I've never had  
sex with anyone but him, and I never will have sex with anyone else. Not  
even you."

"Not even for a baby?"

"Look, Lana. If we did have sex, it would be a real marriage. Even now,  
after all this time, we could still get it annulled if we confess that we  
got married for other reasons and never slept together."

"I don't want..."

"I'm just saying," Clark continued. "Maybe someday you will meet someone  
else. But if we have sex, it's a real marriage, and we have to get a  
divorce. Which is fine, but if we had a real marriage, I'd be betraying you  
by sleeping with Lex. And I can't do that."

"Clark..."

"I could never do that to either of you."

Lana sighed in defeat. "All right."

***

But two nights later, Lana found herself in Lex's bedroom (it was actually  
Clark and Lex's - there was a door which connected the two rooms) with her  
second idea.

"Lex can be the father."

Lex dropped the book he'd been reading, and Clark sat bolt upright. "What?"

"Lex, you can be the father. That way, it's still not a real marriage and  
Clark doesn't have to worry."

"I can't..." Lex began, but Clark jumped in.

"Actually, why not? You need an heir, Lex. You yourself said so. Your father  
has been nagging you for years to get married and have kids." Plus, the  
thought of having a child with Lex's blood was wonderful. He loved Lex. He  
wanted some part of Lex to continue.

Lex got out of bed and looked down at his lover. "Clark, you can't be  
serious. You told me Lana wanted to do it the old-fashioned way."

"You've slept with lots of other people before," Clark pointed out. "I think  
I can deal."

Lex looked at Lana and then back at Clark. "But I've never betrayed what we  
have, Clark. You know I wouldn't."

"This wouldn't be betraying us, Lex. It'd be helping out a friend. I told  
you why I can't do it, even if Kryptonians and humans were to be compatible.  
We can even tell people the truth this time. We can say Lana's having a baby  
for you so that you'll have an heir. They can think we used artificial  
insemination, even."

Lex had to admit, it was a good argument. His father had been trying to get  
him to get married for years, had thrown heiress after heiress and even a  
couple of princesses at him. Lex thought his father probably suspected that  
he was gay, but had been too afraid to find out for sure. Oh, not afraid for  
Lex, but rather afraid of what that would say about him, Lionel Luthor,  
siring a faggot. This way, at least there would be an heir, and it might get  
his father off his back about the marriage thing.

Lex took a deep breath. "Okay."

Lana smiled and rushed forward, the thanks already bursting forth.

Lex got out of bed and stopped her with a gesture. "Wait. Some ground rules.  
You find out your most fertile period *first*. Three months of testing.  
Then, when you're fertile, we do it once. If it doesn't work, I'm not doing  
it again. We can tell people the truth; we can let them think whatever you  
like, I don't care. If a baby results, it gets my surname. Okay?"

Lana nodded vigorously. "Yes. Thank you." She left the room looking  
decidedly happier.

Clark smiled as his lover got back in bed. "I want you to have an heir, Lex.  
A little you."

"I just hope I do a better job than my father did," Lex replied.

Clark leaned over and kissed him. "I'll help you."

***

Four months after their conversation, Lana was in their bedroom in the early  
morning. "Oops, am I interrupting something?"

Lex disentangled himself from Clark. "You know you're not. Aren't you the  
one who made us promise not to - how did you put it? 'Make like bunnies'  
these last three days?"

"We just want your sperm count to be high," Lana laughed.

"Yes, and thanks to that wonderful doctor you made me go to, we know they're  
alive and kicking, thank you."

"That was for your own good, Lex," Clark chimed in. "To make doubly sure."

Lex ran his hands over his head. "I swear, if this doesn't work it won't be  
because of a lack of effort on both your parts."

"It'll work." Clark kissed him briefly before getting up, proving to Lana  
that they really hadn't been doing more than cuddling: he had boxers on.  
"I'll work late at the Planet tonight."

The other two exchanged a look, and Lex indicated to Lana to speak. "Are you  
sure you want to do that? Wouldn't it be better if... you were here?"

Clark shook his head. "No, Lana. Sex should be private. You know if I stayed  
here I'd be tempted to use my x-ray vision. And I would use it. No, it's  
better if I'm downtown, working."

Lex and Lana both shrugged. "Okay," answered Lex, "but be back by 9.30. No  
flying around rescuing people. Not tonight."

"Okay."

***

"I'm so nervous," Lana admitted as she and Lex ate dinner together that  
night.

Lex snorted. "Yeah, me too. I haven't made love to a woman for six years."

Lana's eyes twinkled. "You think you might have forgotten how?"

"Funny."

"I'm just glad Alex had that sleepover." A long pause. "You arranged that,  
didn't you?"

"Of course." Lex grinned. It was his shark grin. "I also had the parents and  
all the other invitees investigated."

"Of course." Lana smiled, relaxing.

They adjourned to the bedroom not long after that. Lana had had one small  
sip of wine; Lex had refrained. They stood together at the foot of Lana's  
bed and looked at each other. "Um, do we undress separately, or..." Lana  
began, but Lex was suddenly in her personal space, unbuttoning her blouse,  
his mouth close to her ear.

"I'm curious, Lana. Why don't you tell me how it was with you and the  
quarterback?"

Lana drew in a deep breath. "N... now?"

Lex pulled her blouse out of her pants. "Of course now."

"He... we..." It was getting hard to breathe. It had been so long. Lex was  
pulling her blouse off her shoulders... very slowly. "He had told me about  
j... joining the M... Marines..." Lex pulled the blouse down her arms and  
let it fall to the floor. "We were having... having this picnic, and he  
kissed me, and... and..." Lex had moved her bra strap aside and was kissing  
her shoulder. She hadn't expected this. "L... Lex, what are you... doing?"

He moved back. "Trying to make it good for you. You want it to be good,  
don't you?"

"I guess."

"Then continue with the story." He moved the strap aside on her other  
shoulder and began to kiss that one as well.

"He kissed me, and I looked... looked at him, and felt th... this huge  
emotion, and I k... kissed him back and t... told him I wanted to be with  
him. Th... that I wanted him... inside me." Lex undid the bra snaps, and the  
bra fell to the floor as well. Now, he was kissing her breasts, and it felt  
so good she could hardly talk at all. "Oh, God."

Lex stopped long enough to whisper, "Carry on."

"So we... we lay down right there... on the bl... blanket." Lex unbuttoned  
her pants and began to pull the zipper down, kissing her stomach as he did  
so. "But I was... was very nervous, so we... he just un... undid my clothes,  
and his pants, and I l... lay underneath him, and he... Oh God!" Lana cried  
out as Lex pulled both her pants and underwear down at once and slid a  
finger into her warmth.

Since her eyes were closed, she couldn't see what he was doing, but it  
sounded like he was unbuttoning his shirt with one hand. The other... "He...  
he put himself... inside me, and it kinda hurt, but then it felt good... Oh,  
God, Lex." His finger was moving inside her insistently. "And... and it  
didn't, um, didn't take long, and he c... came, but I didn't... But he told  
me... told me he loved me, so I didn't care. Oh!" Lana threw her head back  
and came, holding Lex's shoulders for support.

He maneuvered her onto the bed, then, and she heard him undress the rest of  
the way. Tentatively, Lana opened her eyes. She'd seen Lex in various states  
of undress over the years, but never naked. He was unbelievably slender, and  
yet had impressive musculature. No hair, but she'd known that.

Lex crawled up over her, looking down at her with a tenderness she'd only  
ever seen when he was looking at Clark. "Last chance to back out, Lana."

Lana smiled, content. "No. I want this. It'll work, I know it." She opened  
herself to him in welcome. And then he moved against her, and she reached  
down and guided him inside her.

It was good... so much better than that time on the grass with Whitney. But  
she suspected Lex was good at everything he tried. And even though she had  
come already, she knew it would happen again if he didn't rush things.

Lex had no intention of rushing. He'd almost forgotten what it was like to  
be inside slick, easy, welcoming warmth, to make love to someone with curves  
in different places. He wanted to ask if that was the end of Lana's story,  
but something told him not to talk, so he just thrust inside her slowly,  
carefully, gradually quickening the pace.

That was it; that was what she needed. Lana moved her hips up, deepening the  
penetration, and wrapped her legs around him. Lex looked down at her, saw  
what she needed, and moved faster, feeling his climax approaching. Lana  
could feel hers, too, and just clung to him, wanting it all.

There! Lex made a sort of strangled choking sound, and came, his movements  
slowing as he came back to earth. Lana moved her own hand in between their  
bodies, touched herself once, and came as well, never letting go.

Lex lay on top of her, his face buried in her neck. So, so good. An almost  
forgotten pleasure, but not one he'd repeat. This had been exactly what  
Clark had said: helping out a friend. And she had enjoyed it, he knew she  
had. He was happy to have done it, but he knew he would never do it again.

He moved to the side, withdrawing slowly and carefully. Lana moved onto her  
side and smiled. "Thank you."

Lex smiled back, sincerely. "You're welcome."

"Stay here with me, just for a little while."

Lex understood the need to cuddle, and didn't deny her. "All right." He  
yanked Lana's bedcover from the sides of the bed over the two of them, and  
closed his eyes. Just for a minute.

***

Clark had managed to finish an entire article he'd been working on for the  
Daily Planet. It wasn't earth-shattering stuff, but he hoped it wouldn't be  
buried in the middle of the paper with all the other inconsequential news.  
His fellow junior reporter, Lois, had even given him a grudging word or two  
of approval. He felt good.

Clark changed into his costume and flew home, but true to his word he didn't  
go looking for people to rescue this time. He did get a cat out of a tree,  
though. He wondered if that counted.

When he was finally back at the penthouse, Clark changed clothes and went  
inside. Unable to resist, he used his x-ray vision as soon as he was able.  
In Lana's room were two skeletons of people, spooned up together. The vision  
adjusted, and he saw them properly: Lex and Lana, asleep in a cocoon of  
bedspread. Clark didn't know whether to smile (at the cuteness of it) or  
frown (at the fact that they weren't even under the covers). He settled for  
opening the door quietly and stepping up to Lex's side of the bed.

"Lex..." he whispered.

"Um." Lex swallowed, licked his lips and opened his eyes. "Clark? What  
time..." The situation dawned on him. "Oh!" He sat up, dislodging the cover  
from himself only, luckily.

"It's 9.45," Clark said.

"Clark?" That was Lana.

"Ssh. Go back to sleep," Clark said, as Lex got off the bed. Clark threw the  
rest of the spread over her. "Don't get up, okay? For best results," he  
quipped.

Lana, still half asleep, just mumbled, "'Kay," and turned over.

Clark and Lex tiptoed out of the room.

In the sitting room, Clark poured himself and Lex both a strong drink. Lex  
had put his underwear back on, but not bothered with any of his other  
clothing. "So it went okay?"

"It went okay," Lex agreed.

"Good?"

"Clark!"

"Oh, come on, I'm curious. I never got to sleep with Lana."

"Do you know, when she was with the quarterback, she never had an orgasm?"  
Lex shook his head, as if disgusted with Whitney.

"He's dead, Lex. Let him go. It was nearly six years ago."

"How could he not want her to have as much pleasure as possible? She  
deserves it, you know?"

"I know," Clark agreed. "I keep hoping she'll find someone... but she says  
she wants Alex to be older before she starts 'looking seriously'." He  
paused. "Did you make sure she had the pleasure she deserved?"

Lex smiled, but it was wistful this time, not cocky. "You know I did,  
Clark."

"I hope it works."

"We all did our best," Lex replied. "Go to the bedroom; I'll take a shower  
and join you."

They cuddled in bed together that night, hoping for their plan to have  
worked.

***

Lana came to the dining room the next morning to find Clark and Lex there  
already. This wasn't unusual, but they were often nearly finished eating by  
the time she came in. This time, it seemed they had been waiting for her.

"Hey."

"Morning." That was Lex.

"Hey." Clark.

There was a slight pause as Lana got herself some breakfast and sat down  
opposite them. "What time do I have to pick Alex up?"

"I think ten, something like that," Clark said.

"I'll call and check." It wasn't quite tension, but it wasn't quite normal  
for them, either.

Clark broke the almost-tension by asking what was on all their minds: "So,  
when will we know if it worked?"

Lana smiled. "These days, pretty quickly. I'll wait two weeks and get a  
test."

"Those can be wrong," pointed out Lex. Two heads turned towards him. "What?"  
he asked. "I can't do research now?"

They all laughed, and everything was back to normal. Lana elaborated, "I'll  
go see the doctor after a month, okay?"

"Okay."

***

The test turned out to be positive, of course. Apparently Lex's boys were  
good swimmers. At least, that's how the doctor put it when Lana informed him  
that this wasn't her husband's baby, that they were having it for a friend  
and had used artificial insemination. The doctor tactfully suggested  
counseling. "Sometimes a surrogate mother gets too attached to the child  
and has trouble giving it up."

Clark and Lana just looked at each other. "We're not giving the baby up,"  
Clark said. "We've made living arrangements so that he or she can be with  
both parents."

"Who is the father, if I may ask?"

"We'd rather not say," Clark answered. "Privacy issues."

On the way out of the building, Clark remarked, "You've never said anything  
about that night."

"I didn't think you'd want to know, Clark."

"I... I don't, really. Just... was it good? I hope it was more than just a  
business transaction, you know?"

Lana smiled. "It was wonderful, Clark. You're so lucky. I'm glad this baby  
was conceived that way. Planned and wanted, you know?"

"Yeah." They exited the building and, instead of getting a taxi, began to  
walk to Lana's coffee shop. Clark suddenly felt the need to make a  
confession. "Lana, please realize that I wanted to make love to you. I mean,  
I thought about it for more than five years, when I was in high school. But  
I just couldn't. I couldn't betray what I have with Lex."

"It's all right, Clark," Lana said. "I understand. I've seen you two  
together, remember? Love like that is rare."

"But what about you?"

"Me? I... thought I loved Whitney, once. Then I thought I loved you. I mean,  
I do love you, Clark. But this love comes from six years of you being there  
for me. I... could want you, now, but I know you'll never want me, not in  
the way you want Lex. So, after this baby is a few years old, I will think  
about finding someone."

"We all need someone, Lana."

"I know, Clark."

***

Clark continued to x-ray Lana daily, but this time he gave Lex reports on  
how big the baby was, its heart rate, things like that. He wouldn't tell  
either of them what sex the baby was. They'd have to wait for the scan.

Lana, too, was different this time. When the baby kicked, Lex was the first  
person she called to come and feel it. Lex, for his part, was still having  
trouble processing the fact that he was actually going to be a father.  
Somehow, he'd always thought it would never happen.

And Alex was thrilled that he was going to have a baby sister. He blurted  
out the news one day after having accompanied his mother and nanny to the  
doctor. Lex had just returned from an overseas business trip, and Clark was  
out being Superman, after a devastating monsoon in south-east Asia. The  
doctor had finally managed to get a look, and announced that it was a girl.

"I'm gonna have a sister!" he said happily as Lex picked him up to avoid  
being run over by the small dynamo.

"Really, champ?"

"Uh-huh. The doctor let me see what the baby looks like inside Mommy."

Lex hadn't heard about the monsoon yet. "And what did Daddy say?"

"Daddy was - " Here Alex lowered his voice because Daddy's activities were a  
*secret*. "Daddy was out 'helping'."

"Where?"

Lana came out just as Lex put Alex on the floor again. "Somewhere in  
south-east Asia, I think. I saw it on the news. Terrible devastation. And  
Lois called here twice asking where Clark was. Apparently they've been  
bumped up a few notches, kind of a promotion, and Perry White wants them to  
cover the aftermath."

Lex was glad about that; it was time Clark received some professional  
recognition. But still... "They want Clark to leave the country when his  
wife is six months pregnant?"

This just got him a sharp look. "He's out of the country now."

"Yeah, but he could get back in five minutes. If he goes as himself, he'll  
only be back in fifteen, twenty hours. What if something happens?"

"You're here, aren't you?" Lana asked, pulling Lex's hand to her tummy as  
their daughter kicked.

Lex couldn't help grinning at that. "Yeah, I guess I am."

"I love you guys," Lana said seriously.

"And me?" piped up a small voice.

"Of course, you!" Lana said, kneeling down and hugging her son.

***

In the end, Clark was forced to plead family responsibilities when Lana got  
some pains and panicked the both of them. Lois went to south-east Asia on  
her own and wrote three dynamite articles for the Planet. Clark helped out  
with research, but did not get his name on the byline. Not that he cared; he  
was too relieved that Lana was all right. The doctor couldn't find anything  
wrong, and told Lana the same thing that the doctor in Smallville had: to  
stay off her feet. Lex, never one to do things by halves, hired a full-time  
nurse, just in case.

***

"You are not naming any child of mine Alexis!" Lana said to Lex as Clark  
looked on.

"I think it works," Clark said.

"It's too close to Alex. She should have her own name."

"But it was you who decided to name Alex 'Alexander'," Clark put in. "You  
wanted him named after Lex."

"Yeah, and I was named after Alexander the Great," Lex said.

"Time to put a stop to that tradition then," Lana said.

"Didn't Alexander have, like, a wife we could name her after?" Clark asked.

"Alexander the Great was gay, Clark." He smiled as Clark ducked his head,  
not having considered that. "And besides, I think we should leave the Greeks  
out of this."

"What about your mother, then?" Lana asked.

"No."

"Why not?"

"It's too painful. Just... no."

Clark looked up. "What about my mother?"

"Martha?"

"No, actually I was thinking of my biological mother. Lara."

"That will just get people thinking we're obsessed with _Dr. Zhivago_," Lana  
pointed out. "Plus, it's too similar to my name. I'd rather give her a name  
of her own."

"We'll keep thinking, okay?" Clark said, hugging Lex.

"Okay," Lex and Lana replied together.

***

When Lana finally went into labor after 39 weeks, all four of them were  
greatly relieved. Clark wanted to fly to Smallville and get his parents, but  
Lex pointed out that Nell would still have to drive because she didn't know  
about him, so Lex sent a helicopter for the three of them. Alex would have  
to stay with the nanny, something he wasn't too pleased about.

Lana wasn't quite ready to give birth when they got there, but she had  
already started blaming Lex for everything. Clark waited outside this time.  
It was only right that Lex see his daughter's birth.

When they'd checked in, the doctors had stated that only Lana's husband  
could go into the delivery room.

"But I'm not the father," Clark had said, annoyed.

"You want the father to be in there?"

"Yes."

"I don't think..."

Lex, bringing up the rear, had interrupted. "This is my baby, and we've all  
agreed on how it will work. Don't be difficult, please."

"Mister Luthor!" The doctors had recognized him right away. "Of course, you  
may go into the delivery room."

"Thank you."

Which explained why Lana was blaming him for everything now. Lex went  
outside for a minute. "Did she yell at you and scream that you'd done this?"  
Lex asked Clark.

Clark smiled. "Not really. She made several remarks about Whitney, though."  
He smirked. There were very few situations Lex couldn't handle with reason  
and a well-placed snarky comment or two, but this was one of them. Women in  
labor generally don't respond to reason.

"Do you want to see her?" Lex asked.

"Yeah." Clark went into the room. "Lana?"

"Clark! I want to go home."

Clark took her hand. "You can't go home yet, Lana. There's still a baby in  
there."

"I'd forgotten what it was like. What was I thinking? I hate men."

"No, you don't. Just hang in there. It'll be over soon."

"They keep saying that!" Lana yelled. "Please, make it stop!"

"Lana..." Clark began, but Martha popped her head round the door. "Clark?  
Let Lex come in now. Lois is here."

Clark kissed Lana's forehead and left the room, his hand squeezing Lex's as  
they passed each other. Right now, Clark wanted nothing more than to put his  
arms around Lex and never let go. But they both had responsibilities.

"Lois? What are you doing here?" Clark asked, cautiously.

"Is the grapevine true?" Lois demanded without preamble. "Your wife is  
having Lex Luthor's *baby*?"

Clark exchanged looks with his parents and Nell. "Yeah."

"And you haven't divorced her yet?"

Oh. Clark smiled, then. "No, of course not, Lois. It was her idea. Lex is a  
friend of ours, and we felt he should have an heir."

"Oh. So you used a turkey baster, eh?"

Clark frowned. "It was all very scientific. No turkey basters."

"This is my story, understand, Kent?"

"Story?"

"Yeah, Clark Kent's wife bears Lex Luthor's lovechild!"

"Use that headline, and I'll sue," Clark said menacingly. It was a tone he'd  
never used with Lois before. He seldom used it at all - mainly with  
criminals who didn't seem to realize that tangling with Superman was a bad  
idea. But even while Clark was threatening to sue, he knew that the papers  
wouldn't sit on the story. It would be out there, as they had all known it  
would be, and if they didn't explain, then the papers would make stuff up.  
They'd just banked on having more time. Clark guessed that someone at the  
front desk must have called the papers after they'd checked in.

"Come on, Smallville! Give me the story."

Clark had been thinking of giving Lois an exclusive on 'Superman'. She had  
named him, and he'd given her a quote or two, but he'd been waiting for a  
sign that he should do it. Well, if she handled this story sensitively, the  
Man of Steel (geez, he hated that) would let her talk to him. Clark sighed  
and looked down at his sometime-partner. "All right, Lois. But I decide what  
goes in the story and what doesn't." He put up a hand to forestall her.  
"Within reason."

"Great!" Lois extracted a tape recorder from her bag. "So, spill. How do the  
two of you know Lex Luthor?"

"Not now," Clark said. "After the baby is born, Lex and I will talk to you  
at... Lex's place." Clark's only 'official' address was a P.O. box in  
downtown Metropolis; the less people who knew he lived in the LuthorCorp  
penthouse, the better.

Lois smiled affably at this, and left. Clark shook his head. He'd never  
understand her, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. They got on well as  
colleagues because of it.

A couple of hours passed, and then Lex came out of the room looking...  
flushed. Clark had seen Lex flushed very often, but only in the bedroom.  
Outside of it he was always cool and calm. Everyone immediately rushed to  
him.

Lex actually *grinned*. "A girl, six pounds five ounces."

In amongst Martha and Nell hugging him, and Jonathan gruffly congratulating  
him, Lex saw Clark nod and slip into the room.

"How's my wife?" Clark asked the doctor.

"Exhausted," the doctor responded. And Lana was kind of out of it. The male  
nurse finished cleaning the baby, and brought her forward.

Clark looked through the door, where Lex was still being hugged by the  
women. He looked back at the nurse. "Could I hold her?"

The nurse waited for a confirming nod from the doctor, then handed the baby  
over. Clark looked down at her little face. She had Lex's jaw, forehead and  
eyes, but Lana's nose and cheekbones. She was beautiful. As he stared at  
this tiny thing, Lex came back in. "She's beautiful, Lex."

"Yeah." Lex smiled down at her.

Clark handed her to him. "Go and show the relatives," he said. As Lex went  
to show off the baby, Clark went over to Lana and kissed her on the head.  
"Well done," he said.

Clark heard a soft, "Thanks, Clark," as he exited the room on the doctor's  
orders.

***

Jonathan and Martha decided to go back to the hotel; Nell would be going to  
Lionel's penthouse in another LuthorCorp building. Clark and Lex sat down  
outside Lana's room now that she was asleep and just looked at each other.

Eventually, Lex spoke. "I can't believe that's my child in there, Clark."

"I know. Amazing, isn't it?"

"It's as close as I could get to having a baby with you."

Clark was startled; he hadn't known Lex felt that way. "She belongs to all  
of us," he said.

Lex looked at him dead-on. "I love you, Clark."

Clark just smiled. "I love you, too, Lex."

"I'm glad you talked me into this. Lana's a good mother."

"You'll be a good father, Lex."

Lex smiled self-deprecatingly. "At least she's a girl. I won't have to worry  
that I'll turn into my father. Plus, I have you for a role-model. You've  
been a great father to Alex."

"You've been there, too," Clark pointed out.

"He's a cute kid," Lex said. "But he's not going anywhere near a football."

Clark laughed. "Isn't that for me and Lana to decide?"

"There's more to life than being a quarterback," Lex said.

Clark looked around, then leaned forward and kissed his lover. "Yes, there  
is."

Lex pulled back. "I want you, Clark. I want you to make love to me, okay?"

"Here?"

"Yeah." Lex grabbed Clark's hand. "There's a supply closet down here."

Clark laughed happily and followed Lex.

When no one was looking, Lex pulled Clark inside. "I want you," he said  
between kisses as he undid his shirt and pants.

Clark did the same, only letting go long enough to get his clothes open. "We  
don't have any - "

"Here." Lex handed him a tube.

"You've been carrying this around in your *pocket*?"

"Hope springs eternal," Lex shrugged.

They made love in the closet, in a way reminiscent of that time on Clark's  
wedding day six years before. Only this time Lex was the one facing the wall  
with his lover pounding into him from behind. Clark's hands held Lex's to  
the wall, forcing him to just stand there and *feel* what was happening.

And it felt great. Lex felt owned, possessed, loved. And, much as Clark had  
all those years ago, he came against the wall as soon as he felt his lover  
coming inside him. It was perfect.

***

Lex didn't want pictures, but photographers surrounded the hospital as they  
left. All they really got pictures of was a tiny little bit of head  
surrounded by a blanket, and even that bit was usually obscured as both  
Clark and Lex protected Lana and the baby from the photographers. Martha  
followed behind holding Alex's hand, Nell had Lana's vanity case, and  
Jonathan had brought the car. He had insisted that the baby be allowed to  
live as normally as possible. It wasn't going to be easy.

Clark talked Lex into allowing Jimmy Olsen to take some pictures when Lois  
arrived for the interview. Lex, being Lex (i.e., stubborn), insisted that  
both Clark and Alex be in the pictures with himself, the baby and Lana. And  
Jimmy, being very young and intimidated by this rich, powerful man, didn't  
really argue. Clark didn't care one way or the other, but Alex was thrilled  
at being included, and Jimmy even snapped an adorable picture of Alex on the  
sofa holding his sister.

"So, did you name her yet? There's a betting pool going at the Planet," Lois  
said.

"Oh, really?" Clark asked.

"You don't get to bet, Smallville."

"And?"

"Most of the money is on Lillian, since it's your mother's name, Lex.  
There's also quite a lot on Laura, for Lana's mother."

"And Martha?"

"You named her Martha?!" Lois exclaimed, surprised.

"No, I just want to know if anybody put money on it."

"No, I don't think so."

"Hm."

Lana finally spoke. "We named her after a friend of ours. I think you know  
her. She was my maid of honor at my wedding?"

"Chloe? You named your kid Chloe?!"

"Yes. Chloe Lillian Luthor." It had just come to Lana one night after much  
thinking. She liked the double 'L', but none of the names starting with 'L'  
really grabbed her. Chloe had the 'L' sound as Alex did, but it wasn't too  
prominent. It had a connection with a friend, but it wasn't a family name.  
She'd be able to grow into it. Clark and Lex had liked it, too, and when  
they'd called Chloe at the Planet offices in London, she'd been thrilled.

"So, let's get down to business," Lois said. "Whose idea was this?"

The interview went on for a couple of hours, but Clark felt that it would  
result in a positive article. The ones which had come out so far had only  
been filled with speculation.

***

LEX LUTHOR SHOWS OFF NEWBORN DAUGHTER  
By Lois Lane  
Photographs by James Olsen

Lex Luthor, millionaire businessman and son of magnate Lionel Luthor, and  
Lana Lang Kent, originally of Smallville, Kansas, introduced the world to  
their daughter, Chloe Lillian Luthor, yesterday.

In an unprecedented move, Mr. Luthor agreed to be interviewed on the subject  
of his daughter with Mrs. Kent. "I want people to know the truth instead of  
having to speculate," said Luthor, 28. "It's true that Lana is married, but  
it was her idea. She and her husband talked me into it."

The husband of whom Luthor speaks is Clark Kent, also originally of  
Smallville, and a fellow employee of the Daily Planet. The two men met seven  
years ago when Luthor accidentally drove his car off a bridge and was saved  
by Kent, then almost 16. "Clark saved my life," Luthor says. "We've been  
friends ever since."

"I wanted another baby," Mrs. Kent reveals. The Kents have a son of their  
own, Alexander Lang Kent, now six. "But Clark didn't. Then I thought about  
Lex and the fact that he needed an heir. It seemed natural to me to marry  
the two ideas." And her husband? "Clark agreed that it was a good idea, and  
he actually helped me present my case to Lex."

The baby was conceived using artificial insemination, with Luthor as the  
donor. "It only took one attempt," Kent, 22, reveals. "Lana, Lex and I were  
completely scientific about it, and I guess all our math paid off."

Kent is sitting with his son, called Alex, on his lap. Was Alex named after  
Lex Luthor? "Of course," he says. "It was Lana's idea. Lex supported us all  
the way through, from the wedding to Lana's pregnancy to the handling of  
Alex. He's the best friend someone could have."

Luthor looks extremely satisfied at being a father. "We knew it was a girl,"  
he says. "And I'm crazy about her. Isn't she gorgeous?"

There are no plans to treat this child any differently from the Kents' other  
child. The Kents plan to move into Luthor's penthouse, but Chloe Luthor will  
attend the same public kindergarten and school that her brother does, and  
Mrs. Kent is adamant that she will not be spoiled. "Love is the key here," she  
says. "If a child has love, possessions aren't important."

So the rumors about a possible affair between Lex Luthor and Mrs. Kent  
aren't true? "Definitely not," says Clark Kent. "Everything that happened  
was planned for, to the last detail."

And how does the second-youngest member of this unusual family feel about  
all this? "I like having a baby sister," enthuses Alex Kent. "It's so cool."

***

Everyone who read the article was satisfied with it, including Clark's  
father. The picture that accompanied it showed Clark, Lex, Lana and Alex on  
the sofa in Lex's penthouse, with Alex holding the baby. The caption read,  
"Alexander Kent, son of Clark and Lana Kent (right), holds his half-sister,  
Chloe, daughter of Lana Kent and Lex Luthor (left)."

***

Clark came home quite late one night - he'd stopped a plane from crashing -  
to find Lex sitting on the sofa holding Chloe. He was just looking at her  
and stroking her head, as if he still could not believe that she existed,  
and was his.

"Clark!" Lex looked up when he heard his lover and smiled. Clark hadn't  
bothered to change into civilian clothes yet. Lex had never told Clark that  
the Superman costume turned him on - Superman was a necessity in their  
lives, but he loved Clark for himself.

"Hey, Lex. I'll just go change," Clark said as he saw Lex's eyes on the huge  
'S'-shaped sign on his chest. Everyone thought it stood for 'Superman', and  
only his immediate family knew the truth. Still, Clark had always thought  
that Lex disliked the costume and the person he was forced to pretend to be  
while he wore it.

"No." Lex got up. "Here." He placed Chloe into Clark's arms, moving the cape  
around her so that she was wrapped up in it. Clark just looked at Lex  
quizzically as Lex fetched his digital camera.

"Okay, Clark, gives us the Superman smile," Lex said as he snapped a couple  
of pictures. Chloe had drifted off while Clark was holding her, so he  
tiptoed into Lana's room and put her in the crib. Lana, who was watching TV  
softly, just smiled.

When Clark came back into the living room, he was feeling a bit confused.  
"What was that about?"

"Come on, Clark, every child needs a picture of themselves with the Man of  
Steel."

"There's more to it than it," Clark said with certainty. "You always acted  
like you hated the costume before."

"I was afraid," his lover admitted. "The world loves you. You're famous, and  
so damn *good*. I thought..." He trailed off. "I don't really know what I  
thought, Clark. I just knew I couldn't lose you, and if you somehow became  
more Superman than Clark, I might have."

"Superman is just a disguise, Lex, you know that. I love *you*. And I know  
you love me for myself." Clark continued to stand in the middle of the room,  
enjoying how Lex was looking at him.

"Yeah." Lex allowed himself a lecherous leer. "You know, you do look damn  
sexy in that suit. No wonder your fan club has over ten thousand female  
fans."

"Twelve thousand," Clark said. "As of last week."

They looked at each other and started laughing.

"I wonder what the world would say if they knew that Superman was married.  
Or better yet, had a son."

"Or even better, was gay!" Clark put in. "Devastation all around."

"But none of them would have had a chance with you anyway, so what  
difference does it make?" Lex asked.

"I don't know," Clark replied. "It shouldn't make any difference at all." He  
paused. "Those people out there... I have to help them when they need it,  
Lex, but this... " He indicated the penthouse and all its occupants. "This  
is my family. You, Lana, Alex, Chloe. You're my family. You mean everything  
to me."

"Make love to me, Clark. On the cape."

Clark smiled his megawatt smile. "Ooh, kinky."

***

It felt strange to be removing the suit instead of Clark's civilian attire  
of suit and tie, or flannel and jeans. It felt almost blasphemous to be  
taking Superman out of his costume. But then, he wasn't. He was removing a  
disguise. It wasn't Superman he was removing the costume from, it was Clark.  
The man he loved. His lover, who turned and spread the cape over the bed,  
smiling mischievously.

Lex reached up to tangle his hands in Clark's hair. "I love you," he said.

There was a blur and a slightly weird sensation on his skin, and then Lex  
was naked. Clark moved at superspeed again, and had Lex spread out on the  
cape, face-down. "You want me?"

"You know I do, Clark," he responded.

"Say it."

"I want you."

Rushing sound, slick sensation, and then Clark's cock breached him, and his  
lover lay carefully on top of him, pushing him into the soft mattress, his  
face buried in a sea of red.

The cape smelled of Clark. Lex clenched his hands in the material as Clark  
lifted up and began to move inside him. "Family," Clark panted as he made  
love to Lex. "It starts here, with us. Always us."

"Yes, yes," Lex agreed incoherently.

"Us... together..." Clark said, getting close to the peak.

"Uhm," was all Lex was able to get out. His own manhood was rubbing against  
the cape in a delicious manner, and he knew that this, plus the sensation of  
Clark inside him, would be enough to take him over the edge. He was nearly  
there already.

"Lex..." Clark managed to get out. "Lex!" And then he came, filling his  
lover, feeling himself filled with the love that Lex bore him.

"Clark!" Lex tensed up as he felt Clark's seed, and then he too was coming,  
all over the Superman cape, feeling the love that Clark had for him.

Clark collapsed on top of Lex, pushing him back down into the folds of the  
cape. Lex turned his head at the last second so that he could breathe. They  
lay there together for a while, sleep almost claiming them.

Eventually, Clark had to move. He withdrew slowly, smiling sleepily at Lex's  
sigh of loss as their bodies lost that connection. He lay there next to Lex  
and pulled the cape around them.

Lex stirred. "If that's what's gonna happen every time you come home wearing  
the suit, I think you should do it more often," he said, a smirk in his  
voice.

"Maybe I will," Clark replied.

They drifted off to sleep in each other's arms, wrapped in the one thing  
that could have had the power to separate them. But Lex embraced all aspects  
of his lover, aspects that included a wife, another man's child, all manner  
of superpowers, a blue suit, a cape... and the love he knew Clark had for  
him.

Lex snuggled further into the cape.

This was how it should be. It was right.

THE END


End file.
